| Inspirational Thoughts & Words of Wisdom |
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Elder's Meditation of the Day
October 15 - from WhiteBison.org
"All of us begin to rethink what is good about ourselves - put the past where it belongs - and get on with the possibilities of the present!"
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--Howard Rainer, TAOS PUEBLO-CREEK
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There is a saying, you move toward and become that which you think about. So the question for today is, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking bad things about yourself or are you thinking good things about yourself? Are you thinking about a worldly life? Are you thinking good things about people or are you gossiping about people? Are you focusing on past things or are you living in the future? We need to bring our thoughts into the NOW, right here.
"Great Spirit, let me experience living in the present moment."
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| CLICK IMAGE to go to:WhiteBison.Org Home Page |
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The Invitation
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
copyright © 1999 by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/person.html
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| Artwork Entitled "Angel Falls" by Gilbert Williams |
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| From Zen Master ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
"Be Yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search, or struggle. Just Be."
"Every day we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life..., our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive."
"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."
"I am breathing in and liberating my mind. I am breathing out and liberating my mind." One practices like this."
"If love is in our hearts, every thought, word, and deed can bring about a miracle. Because understanding is the very foundation of love, words and actions that emerge from our love are always helpful."
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"The finger pointing at the moon is not the moon."
"The 7 factors of enlightenment: mindfulness, investigation of mental objects, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration and equanimity."
"Does the rose have to do something? No, the purpose of a rose is to be a rose. Your purpose is to be yourself. You don't have to run anywhere to become someone else. You are wonderful just the way you are. This teaching of the Buddha allows us to enjoy ourselves, the blue sky, and everything that is refreshing and healing in the present moment. We already have everything we are looking for, everything we want to become. We are already a Buddha so why not just take the hand of another Buddha and practice walking meditation? Just be. Just being in the moment in this place is the deepest practice of meditation. The Heart Sutra says that there is "nothing to attain." We meditate not to attain enlightenment, because enlightenment is already in us. We don't need to search anywhere. We don't need to practice to obtain some high position. We can enjoy every moment. People talk about entering nirvana, but we are already there. Aimlessness and nirvana are one. We have everything we need to make the present moment the happiest in our life, even if we have a cold or a headache. We don't have to wait until we get over our cold to be happy. Having a cold is part of life. I am happy in the present moment. I do not ask for anything else. I do not expect any additional happiness. Aimlessness is stopping and realizing the happiness that is already available."
"Be still & know."
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Words To Live By
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful
beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most
frightens us.
We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant,
Gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure
around you.
We were born to make manifest
The Glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people
Permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.”
~ Nelson Mandela, 1994 Inaugural Speech
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| Kuan Yin ~ The Feminine Aspect of Buddha ~ Essence of Compassion |
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| Miraculous Flowers Sprout On Head
Of Buddhist Statue in South Korea!
Flowers that bloom only once every 3,000
years are budding on the head of a sacred
Buddhist statue.
Buddhist priests in South Korea say "the
legendary flowers blossoming on the forehead
of 'Kuan Yin the Compassionate' only appear
when the 'Sage King of the Future' comes into
the world," which one Buddhist leader called,
a delight that gives joy beyond description.
"The Miracle of the Flowers", as it's now being
called, happened in the Chonggyesa Temple,
in a suburb of Seoul, the capital of South
Korea. Tens of thousands of pilgrims are
flocking to see the white blossoms on the tip
of the eyebrow of the shining, gilded statue of
Kuan Yin.
"Kuan Yin is a gentle Buddhist deity who
refused to enter paradise because she heard
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the cries of suffering humanity," says religious expert Dr. Kenneth Ireland. "She is
acknowledged to save the soul of everyone on Earth, turning her back on none."
Many are now saying that the monastery of Chonggye-sa could become the Buddhist Lourdes because many cures are being performed there. According to the monks, 21 threadlike stems are growing from the statue of Kuan Yin, each with a tiny white flower 'no bigger than the tip of a ballpoint pen.
"This is the first time in the 1,000-year history of the monastery that the flowers have blossomed. Buddhists say sighting the flowers is like witnessing the birth of Buddha," he added. Experts say it's unthinkable that the 500-year-old statue of Kuan Yin, gilded every three years over the (original) woodwork, could produce growing flowers without divine intervention.
"Botanically, the flower is related to the ficus," says botanist William Grant, "There is just no way it could take root in the statue." Dr. Ireland says, "the flowers are regarded as divine in India, Japan and China and are believed to bloom only when a momentous event is about to happen."
Buddhist monks are currently keeping a prayer vigil at the statue, waiting for the event that will change mankind's future forever. ~ Bruce Stephen Holms bsh@timelessvoyager.com
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A Hopi Elder's Poem
You have been telling the people that this is
the eleventh hour. You must go back and tell
the people that this is the hour.
Here are the things that must be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Do the children want what they see in you?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
Does your life grow corn?
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourselves
for the leader.
This could be a good time.
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are
those who will be afraid.
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| RIVER OF LIFE |
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They will try to hold onto the shore, they will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has it's destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off toward the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. See who is there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history we are to take nothing personally, least of all, ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.
The time of the Lone Wolf is over. Gather yourselves. Bannish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and celebration.
We are the ones we have been waiting for...
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| This image so well reflects the pure, compassionate spirit at the heart & soul of the Bodhisattva Path |
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Thoughts On Passion & Compassion
~ from Bertrand Russell
Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for
knowledge, and unbearable pity for
the suffering of [humankind].
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living. |
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Comes The Dawn
Author: Veronica A. Shoffstall
After awhile you learn the subtle
difference between holding a
hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't
mean leaning and company
doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses
aren't contracts and presents
aren't promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
with your head held high and your
eyes open, with the grace of a
woman, not the grief of a child,
And you learn to build all your
roads on today because tomorrow's
ground is too uncertain for plans.
After awhile you learn that even
sunshine burns if you get too much.
So plant your own garden and decorate
your own soul, instead of waiting
for someone to bring you flowers.
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| "Reverie" by John William Godward ~ Click image to go to: HumanitiesWeb.com |
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And you learn that you really can endure ... that you really are strong, and you really do have worth.
And you learn and learn ... and you learn. With every goodbye, you learn.
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Walk In Beauty
In Beauty may you walk.
All day long may you walk.
Through the returning seasons may you walk.
On the trail marked with pollen may you walk.
With grasshoppers about your feet may you walk.
With dew about your feet may you walk.
With Beauty may you walk.
With Beauty before you, may you walk.
With Beauty behind you, may you walk.
With Beauty above you, may you walk.
With Beauty below you, may you walk.
With Beauty all around you, may you walk.
In old age wandering on a trail of Beauty,
lively, may you walk.
In old age wandering on a trail of Beauty,
living again, may you walk.
It is finished in Beauty.
It is finished in Beauty.
~ Navajo Prayer |
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| The Classic Wisdom of "Desiderata" ~ Author Unknown |
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| "Youth and Time" by John William Godward ~ Humanities Web |
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| For A Reason, For A Season or For A Lifetime?
People come into your life for a reason, for a season or for a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.
When someone is in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be.
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Then, without any wrong doing on your part, at an inconvenient time, this person will say,
or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered, and it is now time to move on.
When people come into our life for a season, it is because your turn has come to share, grow and learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But only for a season.
Lifetime relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person / people (anyway); put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
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The Story of The Three Vinegar Tasters
The Vinegar Tasters painting is the most popular painting related to taoism. It was made even more famous when the book "Tao of Pooh" mentioned this piece of art. The following is a summary of the passages from the book...
Three men are standing around a vat of vinegar. Each one has dipped his finger into the vinegar and has tasted it. The expression on each man's face shows his individual reaction. Since the painting is allegorical, we are to understand that these are no ordinary vinegar tasters, but are instead representatives of the "Three Teachings" of China, and that the vinegar they are sampling represents the Essence of Life. The three masters are Confucius, Buddha, and Lao Zi, author of the oldest existing book of Taoism. The first has a sour look on his face, the second wears a bitter expression, but the third man is smiling.
To Confucius, life seemed rather sour. He believed that the present was out step with the past, and that the government of man on earth was out of harmony with the Way of Heaven, the government of, the universe.
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| The Three Vinegar Tasters In Robes ~ (Click on above image to purchase print) |
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harmony with the Way of Heaven, the government of, the universe. Therefore, he emphasized reverence for the Ancestors, as well as for the ancient rituals and ceremonies in which the emperor, as the Son of Heaven, acted as intermediary between limitless heaven and limited earth.
Under Confucianism, the use of precisely measured court music, prescribed steps, actions, and phrases all added up to an extremely complex system of rituals, each used for a particular purpose at a particular time. A saying was recorded about Confucius: "If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit." This ought to give an indication of the extent to which things were carried out under Confucianism.
To Buddha, the second figure in the painting, life on earth was bitter, filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The world was seen as a setter of traps, a generator of illusions, a revolving wheel of pain for all creatures. In order to find peace, the Buddhist considered it necessary to transcend "the world of dust" and reach Nirvana, literally a state of "no wind." Although the essentially optimistic attitude of the Chinese altered Buddhism considerably after it was brought in from its native India, the devout Buddhist often saw the way to Nirvana interrupted all the same by the bitter wind of everyday existence.
To Lao Zi, the harmony that naturally existed between heaven and earth from the very beginning could be found by anyone at any time, but not by following the rules of the Confucianists. As he stated in his Tao Te Ching, the "Tao Virtue Book," earth was in essence a reflection of heaven, run by the same laws - not by the laws of men. These laws affected not only the spinning of distant planets, but the activities of the birds in the forest and the fish in the sea. According to Lao Zi, the more man interfered with the natural balance produced and governed by the universal laws, the further away the harmony retreated into the distance. The more forcing, the more trouble. Whether heavy or light, wet or dry, fast or slow, everything had its own nature already within it, which could not be violated without causing difficulties. When abstract and arbitrary rules were imposed from the outside, struggle was inevitable. Only then did life become sour.
To Lao Zi, the world was not a setter of traps but a teacher of valuable lessons. Its lessons needed to be learned, just as its laws needed to be followed; then all would go well. Rather than turn away from "the world of dust," Lao Zi advised others to "join the dust of the world." What he saw operating behind everything in heaven and earth he called Tao (DAO), "the Way."
A basic principle of Lao Zi's teaching was that this Way of the Universe could not be adequately described in words, and that it would be insulting both to its unlimited power and to the intelligent human mind to attempt to do so. Still, its nature could be understood, and those who cared the most about it, and the life from which it was inseparable, understood it best.
Over the centuries Lao Zi's classic teachings were developed and divided into philosophical, monastic, and folk religious forms. All of these could be included under the general heading of Taoism. But the basic Taoism that we are concerned with here is simply a particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday life. From the Taoist point of view, the natural result of this harmonious way of living is happiness. You might say that happy serenity is the most noticeable characteristic of the Taoist personality, and a subtle sense of humor is apparent even in the most profound Taoist writings, such as the twenty-five-hundred-year-old Tao Te Ching. In the writings of Taoism's second major writer, Zhuang Zi, quiet laughter seems to bubble up like water from a fountain.
In the painting, why is Lao Zi smiling? After all, that vinegar that represents life must certainly have an unpleasant taste, as the expressions on the faces of the other two men indicate. But, through working in harmony with life's circumstances, Taoist understanding changes what others may perceive as negative into something positive. From the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet.
That is the message of The Vinegar Tasters. |
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